But how do we know which type of content to go with? More than 90% of the information transmitted to the brain is visual. Visual content always trumps over textual content. Videos are the key to reach a large chunk of your target segment. Not every video is the same though. You need to understand what kind of videos work best.

Depending on the objective, you need to create specific videos to achieve them. The aim here is to grab attention early; as people tend to lose interest fast. The attention span of an average human being is just about eight seconds. That goldfish swimming lazily in that aquarium near you does a better job at being attentive. And that’s a fish :)

So let’s look at the videos that need to be created for social media. We have seven different type of videos and a list of tools you can use.

Promotional Videos

These videos have the power to hold your interest for the entire duration of the video. These videos have a good story, impressive actors, and fantastic editing. It takes months to get a video like this going. Not to mention the financial resources that go into making them.

These videos bring the audience very close to the values that the brand personifies. The theme always stays current.

Promotional Videos for Social Media

Take a look at this video by FIFA. This video had a great message. ‘Play right. Live right.’ This video was aired during the recently concluded FIFA World Cup which had 32 countries competing against each other. To showcase the diversity of nations that are unified by FIFA for a common purpose was brilliantly done using this video.

Videos like this need multiple teams working together. Since making such videos isn’t easy and quick, you make such videos maybe once or twice a year.

Pros: A stunning exhibition of the brand and the values that are dear to them. These videos are vibrant and bring the viewers closer to the brand.

Cons: Such videos come at a price. Small companies would have to break the bank trying to afford them. Also, these videos cannot be made frequently and will not keep your followers consistently engaged.

Narrative Videos

Neil Patel, Brian Dean or Patrick Campbell would not be strangers if you are from the Marketing world. Notice something different in the way they reach out to their followers recently? They create short narrative videos nowadays. These videos contain the summary of the article they are promoting. Sometimes they have guests over to share their views too. In short, narrative videos are in vogue now.

Narrative videos by Influencers

Now you might wonder if these videos work only for influencers. You’ll be surprised to see that many brands are actually following this trend now.

Brands Using Short Narrative Videos

Quality narrative videos help to be in constant touch with their viewers. Narrative videos have the dual advantage here. They are the direct voice of the brand. The message is straight and authentic. These videos are great wins for brands. The second advantage is that brands can churn these videos out at will. They don’t bring extensive production costs with them. A very effective tool in the branding of small and medium businesses too.

Pros: You can get started on this immediately. These videos can be made on shoestring budgets and work wonders for your brand. This is the same way GaryVee started WineLibraryTV and went on to invest in Facebook, Uber, etc. So keep these videos coming.

Cons: These videos work only if you keep them coming consistently. Have the topics ready and maintain the frequency. You also need a strong presenter to pull these videos off. Have someone with good, confident screen presence to take up the mantle.

Interviews

Content marketing is all about striking the right balance. Everybody knows the real agenda behind creating content. But the focus should not always be about you and your product. You need to work on solving the problems faced by your audience. That’s where you establish your connection with your audience. Brand narrative videos help a great deal here. But, you need to mix it up a little.

Bring in a few guests from the same domain. That helps your brand gain credibility. Your followers understand that you have to be taken seriously as people whom they consider serious take you seriously.

Interviews Videos for Social Media

Having guest interviews is a great way to co-market too. You leverage off of each other’s brand reach which helps you reach new audiences. You can use these interviews to promote events, product releases, book release or meet-ups.

Jack Welch at the Gary Vee Show to Promote His Book

Pros: Ingenious way to build brand credibility and gain marketing momentum. Helps you get many new followers and increases brand reach.

Cons: You cannot start with these videos. To get this strategy in place, you need to have a certain brand following already. Your guests also need to leverage your followers. They need a compelling reason to tie-up with you.

Testimonial Videos

Narration should not always be from your side. Bring your customer to the fore. Make them the centerpiece. Celebrate this deep relationship with a testimonial video campaign. You get a chance to add an unbiased narrative to your content that has massive benefits.

Testimonial Videos Are Great for Branding

Pros: Best way to use user-generated content. The voice of the customer is very powerful and should not be overdone. Create excellent brand awareness using these videos.

Cons: Use the right people. Big brand associations help convert better. If you don’t have one, don’t fabricate. Your followers are smart and can smell a farce a mile away.

Company Culture

Add a new dimension to your messages. Take your audience behind the scenes. Introduce them to the people on the inside who are responsible for the company’s success. Stories resonate and create long-lasting brand loyalty. Positive stories from your company’s employees will have a significant impact on your audience.

Company culture videos delivering the right message can create this loyalty. It shows that you care about your employees and people who work for you. These videos subtly convey that the brand equally cares about their customers.

Behind the Scenes – Company Culture Videos

Pros: These videos add a lot of value to your brand image. It shows your audience that you care. That rich feeling lasts long.

Cons: Don’t overdo these videos. These videos are something different from your traditional messages. Too much of these can detract your usual viewers.

Live Videos

If you have built a following, its time to start going live. Live videos help you engage your followers directly. You enable meaningful conversation with real people. They get to ask questions directly. You get to respond openly without any preparations. Going Live brings the human element back to your brand. People get to see the real you and associate better with the brand.

Live Videos for Real-Time Traction

Pros: Live videos establish a direct connect. There are no middle men, no production houses, no script writers, and no background music. There are just the brand and the audience. It brings in great value when you pull this off. Start going live if you have the brand reach.

Cons: Live videos work if you have a good number of subscribers. You won’t derive enough mileage from the exercise if the turnout is low. You need to prepare well before going live. The light, sound, and location need to be checked well in advance.

Explainer Videos

Need to educate your audience about your product or service with a video? Explainer videos are what you need. These videos help you grab the attention early. They have a story to attract the audience and they nurture this interest throughout the video. Explainer videos are of two types. Animated explainer videos and narrative explainer videos.

Animated Explainer Videos

These videos have live animations in the video. This helps the viewer to get a better understanding if they identify with the characters in the video. These videos add a unique dimension to the entire brand. Animated explainer videos need time, planning, and resources to execute. If you are a big brand, get a production house to do them for you.

Animated Explainer Videos

Narrative Explainer Videos

If you want your message to be direct and to the point, narrative explainer videos are what you need. These videos waste no time in getting to the topic (Think John Oliver but without the studio and the makeup). They are fast, quick, and don’t leave your audience confused. Just like the brand narrative videos (which we covered earlier), these videos don’t need a production crew, script writers, and animated characters. All you need is a confident company spokesperson to take your audience through.

Pros: Explainer videos work when you have to educate your audience about complex issues. The narration helps to retain focus for a longer time.

Cons: Big brands have to be careful while going for animated explainer videos. An inferior quality can dilute their brand. A properly produced video or a narrative explainer video will work in this case.

We have looked at different videos that can be used for social media. Now, let’s quickly look at the tools you need to get these videos started.

Video Marketing Tools for Social Media

Screen and Video Capture Tools

These tools are essential for creating narrative videos. Use these tools to capture your screen, webcam, and mic feed to create unique narrative videos. Choose tools that have a built-in editor to avoid looking around for them later. An image and audio library is a bonus.

Video Editing Tools

Editing tools fall into two categories. Serious filmmakers use professional video editors like Premiere Pro and iMovie. For everyday video editing works, online video editors can handle the workload.

Animated Video Creators

Tools like Animoto and Powtoon are great for creating animated explainer videos. Some of these tools have templates too that you can tweak to create cool videos.

Video Hosting Tools

Don’t let all this hard work to create these videos go to waste. Use video hosting tools to add them to your website. You can use products like Hippo Video to host your videos and then generate leads through them. Uploading videos to your website gives you great SEO benefits too.

That’s all I have for you folks. Let me know if you have tried some other videos that have worked for you. Write about them in the comments section below, and I will add them to this article. If you have any questions about the videos or the tools, ask them in the comments, and I’ll answer them for you.

Nikhil Premanandan is an expert on Video Marketing. Nikhil s currently the head of marketing at SMhack, a social media management software startup. He likes to experiment with Facebook consistently and document his experiences in his blogs. He understands the hidden potential social media has and is always looking to learn. Nikhil also contributes regularly to Jeff Bullas's blog. When he's not on Facebook you can find him digging the latest exploits of Tom Hanks and Steve Carell.

About Nikhil Premanandan

Nikhil Premanandan is an expert on Video Marketing. Nikhil s currently the head of marketing at SMhack, a social media management software startup. He likes to experiment with Facebook consistently and document his experiences in his blogs. He understands the hidden potential social media has and is always looking to learn. Nikhil also contributes regularly to Jeff Bullas's blog. When he's not on Facebook you can find him digging the latest exploits of Tom Hanks and Steve Carell.

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Really enjoyed your post; informative and to the point. Video creation is our area of expertise at Biteable – we find the majority of our clients use Biteable for social media marketing purposes, which they find to be incredibly effective. Would love you to check out Biteable and enjoy its slick execution of social media videos, and ease of use.

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Neal Schaffer is a leader in helping educate executives and professionals on social media as well as in implementing successful social media strategies for businesses. CEO of the social media agency PDCA Social, social media educator at Rutgers University and the Irish Management Institute, social media keynote speaker who has spoken at hundreds of events on four continents, and author of three social media books, Neal is a true innovator and influencer in the growing world of social media for business.